on our broadcast here tonight, the pay gap between men and women, there's been a big change, the question is is it good news? first response, what it sounded like when those first frantic reports start the surfacing that an entire california neighborhood was on fire after that colossal explosi explosion. best medicine, tee are using common cough medicines to get high, but tonight, a surprising decision about a possible solution. and top secret -- what we now know what was going on in the background in some of the most famous images of the civil

rights era. most famous images of the civil rights era. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. it's always been a huge gulf in american society and in our workforce, especially, what men and women are paid for the same work. tonight, we can report the numbers have moved. though the reason for it isn't good. figures from this year show women earned 83 cents on the dollar compared to what men earn. that's the highest number ever recorded. the bad news is the reason for t the economy is in such crummy shape, ton of men been hard hit and many women in turn have prospered in this economy. still, in terms of women's income comer anding power in the u.s., the number represents a victory, a milestone and it's where we begin tonight with nbc's michelle kosinski. she's in miami beach for us

tonight. michelle, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we're here at a start-up software company started by a woman. and in this economy with men outnumbering women nt often employment line this year for the first time ever, women outnumber men in the american workforce. they outnumber men at clotures and now some might say a milestone that really count, that long debated wage gap between men and women is the smallest it has ever been. across america, women are more than ever a workforce to be reckoned with. making headway against the relentless wage gap, by earning almost 83 cents to every there are earned by a man. ten years ago it was 76. in 1979, 62 cents. 24-year-old lauren kerry in miami found success in a skrer. >> within 24 hours of graduation, i had my first offer. >> she is she is in the age group

of women earning more than men in most of america's big cities. >> women are earning more because they're better educated so they can get better occupations why higher wages. they're taking less time off during child bearing years and there has been a decline in overt discrimination. >> reporter: over the last decade, but for men, they've only risen 3% for whites, not at all for black men and have fallen 6% for it's h hispanic. in chicago, 33-year-old corporate lawyer deidre norris is climbing the corporate ladder steadily but looking back at her male counterpart. >> i encountered in my profession more african-american female attorneys than african-american male terns. >> reporter: part of this s this is women are weathered the recession better. but manufacturing, construction, dominated by men has been among

the hardest hit. and that affects women, too. >> women are more likely to be the primary or the only breadwinners for the family right now. >> reporter: new york, 38-year-old doctor and mother knows it's a balance. >> we all have expectations about taking care of children and home care and we need men to step up to the plate. >> reporter: we're talking talking about a wage gap that means it still exist, that means household income in this country continues to erode, is this progress? absolutely, though some would be quick to point out that a woman's 83 cents still does not a dollar make. brian? >> michelle kosinski starting off from miami beach tonight, thanks. a bit more on the economy before we move on. retail sales rose 0.4% in august. the biggest gain in five months usually means back to school shopping is rebust. on wall street, the dow broke a four session winning streak closing down a bit, almost 18

points but gold prices have sky rock theed to new all-time highs, up more than $24 an ounce worth now trading north of $1,200 an ounce. now we turn to california for the first time we're hearing what it sound like when a gas explosion leveled a neighborhood in san bruno, south of san francisco and we're thaerg from thor if respective of the first responders who were trying to make sense of what they wering and hearing what was going on there. again, miguel almaguer is in san bruno for us this evening. good evening. >> good evening. that dinner time blast claimed lives and destroyed the community behind me. we're only three mohels away from san francisco international airport and after the explosion just about everyone here feared the worst. >> it appears we have a plane down in a neighborhood, multiple structures on fire and we have a fireball still coming out. >> reporter: as firefighters

raced towards the flames, the blast sent neighbors running for their lives. >> it was a pretty chaotic scene coming down the hill, people running up the hill, just trying to get out. >> reporter: the heat was so intense, the inferno so massive, it took nearly a half hour to determine this was no plane crash. >> it does not appear this is an aircraft down, it appears this is some sort of natural gas explosion. >> reporter: the cause of thursday's gas line rup chur that killed four people is still under investigation. >> i grew up here, i work here and it's my family. >> reporter: firefighter john friolo. >> you're siing people run up to you, they're burnt, they're looking at for help and right then and there we didn't have the resources. >> reporter: chaos and confusion and then no way to fight the fire. >> we think we got a broken water main down here so they need to lay in from the corner of san bruno avenue. >> it's a sinking feeling to say

the least because you count on that water being there and if there was ever a time when you needed it, it was there. >> reporter: this neighborhood burned for a day and a half. by the time crews beat back the flames, nearly 40 homes were destroyed, hundreds more damaged. federal investigators have wrapped up their probe in the blast zone behind me. we're told their preliminary report could take about 30 days and while four people are dead tonight, brian, another three are still missing. >> mug moog on the job in san bruno, california, again tonight. thanks for that. overseas tonight, the american hiker share have a shower sarah shourd tonight is freed from a famous prison in iran, but the story isn't over. our chief correspondent andrea mitchell is in tehran reporting on the fate of shourd and the two american men who traveled with her still being held captive there tonight. andrea, good evening. >> good evening, brian,

32-year-old sarah shourd is a free woman tonight after more than an a year in an iranian prison, even while her fiance shane bauer and their friend josh fattal remain behind bars. not quite home, but reunited with her mother and uncle. after an international rescue as dramatic as her capture 14 months ago. when the three hikers say they accidently crossed an you an marked border into iran. pale and thin after her ordeal, sarah shourd said she was grateful even toe iran for letting her go. >> i want to really offer my thanks to everyone in the world, all the governments, all the people who have been involved and especially particularly want to address president ahmadinejad and the iranian officials that have really just leaders and thank them for this humanitarian gesture. >> reporter: but in a carefully staged to ahmadinejad, she pointedly appealed for the rerelease of shane bauer and

josh fattal, both 28 years old. >> i have a huge debt to repay the world for what it's done for me and my first priority is to help my fiance shane bauer and my friend josh fattal to gain their freedom because they don't deserve to be in prison anymore. >> reporter: tonight in new york, josh's mother laura fattal. >> i'm very happy but it was very bittersweet because i want to have that same happiness and i know cindy does, too, and we want josh and shane home as soon as possible. >> reporter: last january, shane and sarah became engaged in the prison yard during the one hour a day she wasn't in solitary confinement. the ring? some string he pulled together and tied into a knot. now, they're separated again. as she was swept from prison to a sleek private jet owned by the government of oman. did the wealthy gulf state pay the half a million dollar bail iran was demanding which the u.s. refused to pay. >> you're skg if money has

changed hands and the short answer is we don't know. >> reporter: tonight, iran said that it released share have a shower sarah shourd on compassionate grounds because she had medical problems but the two men will have to stand charges on spying. >> after as you left to foe go, there all these fits and starts, she's not being released, then she's being released. what's going on the whole time behind the scenes. >> reporter: well, there are reports of divisions in the government here in the regime and the judiciary wanting to keeper in jail but president ahmadinejad and his supporters won out and she finally was release, but it certainly has raised concerns and a lot of issues about what is really going on here. >> andrea mitchell on the job and on the story in tehran tonight, andrea, thanks. we switch back to this country, primary day today, seven states and the district of columbia here in new york what could be a big stories in the days ahead, lot of problems with voting machines reported today.

now on the political front, what a lot of people are watching closely is whether voters are in an anti-washington, anti-establishment mood. they're watching what happens tonight in delaware, for example, with great attention where there's an an important gop senate primary, it's where our own kelly o'donnell is stationed tonight. kelly, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. people are watching delaware because this little state has big implications for the rest of the country, what's happening here is really a vivid example of the conflict within the republican party. about what kinds of candidates and what brand of politics could work best in november. there is a senate seat here, it belonged to joe biden, it's up for grabs. republicans all chose mike castle who's won more elections in delaware than any republican. and then just the last two weeks, an insurgent tea party candidate named christine o'donnell came out of almost nowhere become a serious

challenger. why? outside tea party money. sarah palin's influence and real tension in this race. now there have been questions about whether she's qualified, her financial history and work history has been a part of this race, she says she's had hard times but that means she can understand what voters are feeling. what happens here matters elsewhere because republicans have viewed this seat, delaware, as a chance to take something away from democrats and democrats believe this is an important place to protect because this is joe biden's home and that's a simple for them. this could be a very important measure of the outsider/insider rifts we're seeing all across the country. brian? >> kelly o'donnell in delaware tonight. we'll have more on what happens tomorrow evening. kelly, thanks. hurricane season fully underway all across the atlantic tonight. two big hurricanes igor and julia swirling in the middle of the ocean and now karl appears ready to join the mix.

igor still a big and dangerous category 4 storm could side swipe bermuda this weekend. julia ya not a threat to land but karl could strengthen into a hurricane and threaten the coast of mexico in the next coming few days. when our broadcast continues in just a moment on a tuesday night, are some common medicines now sold over-the-counter about to be put behind the pharmacy counter? and later, he took some of the most psychenic pictures of the u.s. civil rights era but all the while he had a stunning secret. maybe you want to provide meals for the needy. or maybe you want to help when the unexpected happens. whatever you want to do, members project from american express can help you take the first step. vote, volunteer, or donate for the causes you believe in at membersproject.com.

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the decision and the problem. >> reporter: it's a teenage craze of teens robotripping getting high on cough medicines like dexatrim, containing de skchlt tromethorphan or dex. 8,000 er visits in 2008, up 74%. symptoms can range from mild intoxication to a far more serious irregular heartbeat, siege shur, loss of conscio consciousness and brain damage. despite being an er nurse, misty never saw the signs that her son carl was abusing cough syrup, he died after mixing it with drugs. >> i noticed an empty bottle of

cough syrup in the back seat of his car, but unfortunately by the time i had got ton his room i discovered he had passed away during the night. >> reporter: today in washington, an fda panel heard testimony about the abuse of dextromethorphan. >> they some have related increasing problems row late to the drug's abuse. >> reporter: and whether cough medicine should require a prescription. buts cough medicine industry opposes that saying these are safe and the harm from abuse is rare and the millions of americans depend on the dozens of medicines that contain dxm. already some national chains refuse to sell those to under 18. today, the advisory panel advised against inquiring prescriptions for cough medicine, but the fda could decide to place age restrictions on buying cough medicines. the question is whether any actions should be warrant or rather an overreaction.

tom costello from from our washington bureau tonight. when we come back, what's in a name? which common household ingredient is anxious to be known as something else? . and ignoring it can lead to... sipping water can help, but dentists recommend biotene. biotene moisturizes and helps supplement some of saliva's enzymes, providing soothing relief when you need it most. don't ignore dry mouth. look for biotene in your oral care section today. this has been medifacts for biotene. hey what's going on? doing the shipping. man, it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to weigh 'em all.

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no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah. for the second straight year, president obama addressed the nation's school students today, you may recall it was hugely controversial last year as critics feared kids would somehow be indoctrinated, something of that sort this year. the white house released his

remarks early so educators could all see what he was going to say. there was a lot about hard work and making the effort specific lane and what it was like as he put it, growing up a skinny kid with ears that stuck out with a funny name. reggie bush is giving back his heisman trophy awarded to him in '05 at usc, bush, these ga, the great new orleans saints running back, gave the heisman back after the ncaa determined he received improper benefits and should have been ineligible for the '05 season, rather than being stripped of it, he's giving it back. the first time a heisman has been returned by its recipient. the folks who make high fructose corn syrup would like it to be known by another name, corn sugar. specifically the perception it's somehow more harmful than ordinary sugar. they say what they produce has been disparaged and

misunderstood, the federal government is making its own decision on the name what to call it. while we're talking a lot about women and men on the broadcast tonight, there's this -- who do you think is more diligent at hand washing in rest rooms? men or women? well, you're right, 93% of women wash their hands in a recent study while the number fell to only 77% of men. the overall number could use improvement but it's the best rate of hand washing in over a decade. according to the folks who track such things. up next, what you couldn't see in the pictures of an entire era in america. do you think i'd let osteoporosis slow me down? so i asked my doctor about reclast because i heard it's the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment. he told me all about it and i said that's the one for nana. he said reclast can help restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve months.

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[ but aleve can last 12 hours. tylenol 8 hour lasts 8 hours. and aleve was proven to work better on pain than tylenol 8 hour. so why am i still thinking about this? how are you? good, how are you? [ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain.

you may remember w when we profiled him right here on this broadcast about a month back, zach bohn, 12-year-old florida boy set outta to make a difference by walking across this nation to raise awareness of homeless children. this is the day zach reaches the finish line, santa monica, california. nearly 2500 miles away from where he started out. there's a stunning report tonight that an african-american photographer who took some of the most recognizable images from the civil rights era was

doing double duty all the while by acting as an informant on the likes of the reverend dr. martin luther king jr. and others. other own ron mott has more on these refer lagss about the photographer ernest withers and the reaction to it. >> reporter: the times were turbulent, the nations were on everyone and he was there, up close and personal. the pictures he took during the civil rights movement, unlike anyone else's, he tremendous access, yet none of his famous and or not so famous subjects knew he was cleblgtsing more than snapshots, the center piece of a double exposure, withers was also allegedly on the payroll of j edgar hoorcher's fbi as informant me 338 r. he died three years ago. >> what was going on in the heart of a man who was a strong believer and supporter of civil rights but at the same times were working hand in hand with the fbi. >> reporter: the newspaper used federal documents to chronicle

his coverage of the civil rights movement. >> anybody who might possibly threaten the establishment or might be a celebrity of any kind and this was a good conduit for getting that information. >> well, the fbi was using him, he was using the fbi. >> reporter: the reverend joseph lowery is among those withers documented. >> i still would like to think that he understood that there was nothing he could do or give the fbi that could be used to hurt us. to hurt the movement. i believe that about ernest. >> reporter: the works of ernest withverse been in high demand in for decades at museums and galleries around the country including this here in lachblt in fact, the museum is set to open in memphis. the allegations are a blow to withers' family, fearful they could stain his legacy. >> he left images that are in our minds giving us a true picture of what took place. and to say that he betrayed

african-americans is a false statement. >> reporter: images of the country's troubled history and man behind them, drawing new headlines decades later. ron mott, nbc news, atlanta. and that's our broadcast on a tuesday evening. thank you as always for being here with us, i'm brian williams, we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes.